Britain's Most Admired Companies 2013: Telecoms

The telecoms industry has been ringing in the changes, after a new CEO took over at BT.

Gavin Patterson, who took over as BT's chief executive from veteran Ian Livingston this year, is off to a flying start. Not only has the £4.5bn-turnover company scooped top place in its sector, its gamble on TV sport is paying off: it has already signed up more than two million new customers. Vodafone, having finally sold its longstanding stake in US mobile network Verizon Wireless for £80bn, is now looking like a takeover target itself. The current bets are on AT&T swooping in next year. Britain's biggest mobile operator, EE, is celebrating winning more than 1.2 million customers for its superfast 4G mobile broadband services, while satellite outfit Inmarsat plans to double its $130m turnover next year by focusing on the Middle East and North Africa.